If he was found out using an enhancement drug which is illegal, then probably he was already suspended, just like what happen to  Ayton (https://nba.nbcsports.com/2019/10/24/deandre-ayton-suspended-25-games-for-drug-policy-violation/)... Mitchell is actually a superstar, he can drop that points especially if his shooting percentage is very efficient.

They are just not lucky, sometimes a team have that kind of bad losing streak. However, if you look closely on the previous games of the Jazz, their losses are very close, so that means they are still very competitive, they just fall short in the last quarter, maybe lack of good execution, that's something they need to improve.

This is what I'm saying at the start of the season. Teams that are at the top spot right now will not stay on that spot and vice-versa and that's what's happening right now, and I guess many knew it already.

Like you said, the top spot Jazz at the start of the season is now on a freefall and the Kings who is at the bottom at the start is slowly getting into the top. The best example of this scenario right now is the Nets. Just look at them at the start of the season. They started 2-5 and after that, they fired Coach Nash and Coach Vaughn took the coaching position and since then, they are performing really well and currently they are on a winning streak. Coach Vaugh even got the coach of the month award for December which is very nice and that might boost his morale to coach his Nets team even better.

Teams will not stay on the top and vice versa and we near at the half of the season so let's expect more changes with regards to the standings. Teams on the bottom still has a chance to reach at least the top 8 or the play-in position and those at the top might still fall and worse, they might be out of the top 8.

I miss the 80s/90s era with defense and hard fought games.  Imagine Jordan playing in this era where a simple hand check is a foul.  That's why all these guys are scoring 50, 60, 70 points.  The level of play isn't better it's just the lack of defense that's prevalent.  The NBA, and all major sports for that matter change rules to encourage scoring which enhances the entertainment for the average fan.  Me personally it feels more and more like an all star game than anything, which isn't a good thing.

All the players that you mention belongs to the team that recently suffer struggling. Probably they are more motivated to play since most team already played 25% of there game on the regular season and this is the best time to farm wins to have a better position rather than boost effort on final games especially Lebron that missed the playoffs last year due to incomplete team mates.

Luka is always that kind of explosive so I’m not really surprised. Lebron stepping again is what makes me wonder on what triggers him to do that extra effort once again.

Finally getting some nationally televised games tonight. Been a long break since the Christmas holiday. Up first on ESPN is the Bucks and Raptors, so we can see if Giannis has another legendary performance in him. Then game 2 of the doubleheader is the Lakers vs Miami Heat, with LeBron facing off against his old team. Will the old guy have another big performance in him? We’ll see soon enough.

The top players score 40-50+ points more and more often. It seems that there will come a moment soon when fans will no longer be surprised by such performances. Honestly, I think the trend is not that players are pushing their limits but that the NBA is getting softer and softer every year. I mean, 50+ points was a rarity and a difficult task for many players 15-20 seasons ago. However, the current top players can score the same number of points somehow too easily.
Maybe I'm wrong, and someone will disagree with me, but that's my feeling on the playing style of players in the NBA at the moment.

Two very close games lost to the Kings, I don't know, maybe the Kings is for real this season with the acquisition of Sabonis as they have a lot of options now. And then Fox playing 100% healthy and so they are back playing good again.

As for the Jazz, there has been a debate whether they are going to tank this season with their new lineup, but in the beginning they are winning. But as of late they are in a slump, and they need to play defense too as they are giving up points very easy.

I think it is definitely possible for players to have good games and this was one of them, plus he didn't had this much points for the first three quarters neither, it didn't look like a 71 point game at all, it was like a 40+ even maybe 50 point game at best which does happen time to time, we have seen it done by Luka so many times in a row during December for example.

The difference was that he had a good game like that, but then it also went to OT and he scored a bunch of points there too. Other team gave up eventually, and his team got him the ball and he was on fire so he put them in. That's the greatest thing and it does help him a lot too.

Career night for Giannis but it's weird that his previous career high was only 52. Now he made 55, I feel like he should've already scored 60+ a couple of times. I think a star player with 33 ppg stats can do better in a game. Of course, this makes the 60-70 point performances even more special. Shooting 60+ in a game is very different from throwing 30 in each game. Giannis is a special player, I think he will break his record again soon.
Besides Giannis I think Brook Lopez is the most important part of this team. His domination in the paint is something else. He might be the defender of the year so far. We should also mention Bobby Portis for Bucks' achievements. His double double stats from bench is very important. Bucks is going good but East is harder than ever, so anything is still possible.